Jewish Community Helps Avon Charity

October 05, 1995|By VAN ALDEN FERGUSON; Courant Staff Writer

SIMSBURY — In what has become something of a local tradition, the members of the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation Emek Shalom used the solemn occasion of Yom Kippur observances to help those in need.

For the fourth year in a row, congregation members brought bags of food to worship services on Wednesday to donate to the Gifts of Love Inc., a charity in Avon.

Congregation members started arriving for services in the west parking lot of Simsbury High School around 9:30 a.m. Before entering the high school auditorium for services, the worshipers stopped at a white truck, where two staff members from the charity were waiting, and handed them brown paper bags from Fitzgerald's food store containing nonperishable food items.

School Superintendent Joseph Townsley said the congregation rented the high school auditorium for services. Schools were closed for the holiday.

Amy Hecht, chairwoman of the congregation's social action committee, said the food drive was done in conjunction with the United American Hebrew Congregation. In previous years, members have donated between 400 and 500 bags of groceries during its food drive. By Wednesday afternoon, the charity had collected 140 bags from congregation members who were attending services at the high school and at the synagogue on Bushy Hill Road. More donations were expected throughout the week.

``We asked the congregation to donate the food they would normally eat on Yom Kippur,'' Hecht said. Yom Kippur began at sundown Tuesday and concluded at sundown Wednesday. About 275 families from the Farmington Valley and West Hartford belong to the congregation, Hecht added.

Barbara Gozzo, director of client services for Gifts of Love Inc., said the food would help stock the organization's pantry, which serves about 200 clients each month.

Gozzo said the congregation's food drive comes at a time when grocery donations to the organization -- and its available supplies -- have declined.

``Our pantry this time of year runs very low. We really depend on food drives like this. Otherwise we would have to purchase food ourselves,'' Gozzo said.

John Levy of West Simsbury said his one bag of food along with the hundreds collected will help the charity serve those in need.

``One bag here and one bag there adds up. Each year [the amount donated] has been larger than the year before,'' Levy said.